MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A Minneapolis staple is closed after a bus slammed through its walls.
A University of Minnesota commuter shuttle crashed into the Acadia Tuesday afternoon. Somehow, no one was hurt.
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A crowd gathered near Cedar and Riverside avenues in Minneapolis’ West Bank after some saw and heard the crash over the lunch hour.
“Loud, bam, loud for sure. I just saw the bus go into it really, it was taking a right right there. I don’t know if it caught a curb but it just went right into Acadia,” student Brecken Winthrope said
Katie Essler, the general manager of the restaurant and music venue, said a line cook and bartender were the only ones inside.
“He called and he said, ‘Hey, there’s a bus in the lobby.’ No one was hurt, which is a miracle. It went right through our coffee bar, right though the cash register,” Essler said.
(credit: CBS)
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We’re told one passenger was on board, along with the driver. Another vehicle was involved, with no injuries reported.
The building suffered the blow. The bus went right through the glass, plowing down tables. People working upstairs said it felt like an earthquake. They were evacuated. Engineers and inspectors are surveying the damage.
“They’re trying to determine kind of how much of a danger there is, people being in the building,” Essler said.
The crash became the talk of campus, with students concerned for the cafe, and riders safety.
“I was a little freaked out because that’s the bus that I usually take when I’m getting around campus. So it’s scary that it could happen,” freshman Serena Mobley said.
The businesses say the plan is to shore up the building, but it may be the end of the week before they’re able to get inside.
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The crash is under investigation. Acadia set up a fundraiser to help pay staff while it’s closed.
